Innocent
by I. Evelyn
Summary: AC198. The wars have ended, and now it is time for peace. Duo has taken a new identity, and has started a life on L1, but with the start of The World Alliance Conference, can he keep his identity a secret? - currently being revised
1. Prologue

**Innocent**

**Standard disclaimers apply.**

**Prologue**

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I sit in the back of class, hunched over a notebook. To the untrained eye, it might look as if I was furiously taking notes, but in reality, I was drawing. Don't get me wrong; I'm not stupid… I just find a lot of stuff somewhat boring. I know it already; I don't see why I have to learn it again, so I don't really pay attention in class. Half the time I'm asleep, so today, the teacher should be happy that I'm at least partially conscious. If people just spoke English, I might be even more motivated to listen. You see… hey, did it just get quieter in here all of a sudden…

I look up and there is my teacher, standing directly in front of my class glaring. As if that's going to make any difference, her glare doesn't do a thing after Yuy's. I just give her my best 'baka' grin.

"Gomen, ne," I say sheepishly.

"Mr. Maxwell, how many times to I have to tell you to pay attention," she asks angrily after she lets the rest of the class out. The only reason I'm staying is because she took my notebook. I want those sketches back. Those Leos were the best I've ever done. It took a few minuets before I could apologize enough to be let out. With a deep sigh, I pull my book bag onto my shoulder and head off to my dorm.

"How was history, Maxwell?" Dean asks, teasingly.

"Just dandy," I reply. "I finally found the correct way to draw a Space Leo. Other than that, it was dull. I'd rather be in biology again."

"When are you ever going to take this seriously?"

I just shoot him a grin and continue to my dorm.

"Did you see the vidclips of the attack on Oz a few weeks ago?" Dean asks once he catches up. These people always follow all the Gundam attacks. Frankly, I'm surprised with the amount of students here who actually support us. "Those Gundams are good, but they will eventually have to lose a fight, ya' know?" More people join the conversation and I let my brain go on autopilot."

"Maxwell…. Come in Maxwell…"

"Nani?"

"Sure… English please? We're not in class any more, man."

"Gom… Sorry," I grin. "So…" I say trying to change the subject. "Whadda ya wanna do? I think there's a game later. We could go to that to kill some time…"

We killed a few hours hanging out around campus before going to the game. During the first quarter, I heard a noise from my bag, and quickly take my laptop out to see whats going on. It only takes one quick glance at the screen for me to grab my stuff and run out of the room with a 'Shit, I gotta go'.

I reach my room and find Yuy waiting for me in his traditional spandex and green tank top. An almost unholy grin forms on my face and I change out of my school uniform into my regular outfit. I grab my bag, throw a few personal items in it, and head to the window. I make sure my gun is fully loaded before climbing out the window and down to our transport.

It doesn't take us long to realize that our intel was off. We have only been there a few minuets and we are already on the defensive. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Wing take a critical hit. Backup still hasn't arrived. I open a link, "We can't hold them off for much longer, we have to retreat. I'll cover you, Shinigami is the least damaged."

I don't wait for a response, and attack the nearest Mobile Suit.

"Shinigami lives!" I yell as I try to get out.

"02, Get out of there!" I hear Yuy shout as he finally gets into the air. There isn't a way out for me yet, I can't leave.

"02! Now!" I understand. There is no way we'll both make it out. Backup still isn't here.

I know OZ is recording the battle. Everyone in the Earth Sphere is watching. I quickly open up a broadcast link. They will see everything.

"What the hell are you doing? Get our of there!" Backup is in communication range.

"People of the Earth and Colonies," I'm not going to defend myself. "I'm Gundam Pilot 02, Duo."

This is Shinigami's last fight.

"This is the extent we will go to…"

"Duo! Stop!"

Good bye.

"… to ensure peace."

I'm so sorry.

I smirk and say to my self, "So, this will end everything, will it?"

I push the button and my life flashes before my eyes.


	2. Chapter 1

Innocent  
**standard disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 1**

**AC 198**

"Audio record, ID number 375."

The computer screen blinked, signaling that it was ready to start recording.

"Start recording now."

The computer obeyed the command.

"Audio recording three: Journal of Duo Maxwell. October, AC 198."

Duo paused for a second before he started to speak.

"It's been about ten months since they self destructed their Gundams. No matter how much I miss my DeathScythe, I'm happy to finally have a chance at a normal life. I remember the Professors saying that we would have a hard time integrating back into society, but I don't think I'm having that hard of a time. I guess it's because I've never really had a normal life so I don't have anything to compare this life to. I decided to come to L1, and I've been here for about eight months. I have even started school. I'm about a year behind where I should be, but that's to be expected. I've never been to school. What I know now is from being a Gundam Pilot. I wish I could have thanked G for starting my education.

"I've kept only a few things from my days as a pilot, and I've learned that I have to hide them very well. I kept the self destruct button from DeathScythe; I also kept some mission reports from the first war and about the original Operation Meteor. When the government talks about Operation Meteor, they are talking about the 5 Gundams that descended to earth, but only a few people realize that it was initially something completely different. The original Operation Meteor involved a colony. The rotation of a colony would be increased. Then, the balancing mechanism would be destroyed at La Grange Point, throwing the colony toward Earth. During the chaos on Earth, the Gundams would have been sent to take over. Luckily, none of the Gundam Pilots wanted to that. From what I understand, we were all told to disregard the mission, and do what we thought was best as long as we limited our attacks to OZ.

"It was hard explaining things to my roommates. They just think I'm one of those geeks who tracked the war. One of them asked if I had relatives in the army. I just answered with "something like that." How would I explain that I was one of the people who saved their asses; that at age fifteen I was in a mobile suit with my life on the line, fighting in the name of the colonies?

"I also had to explain why I had a basic outline of DeathScythe's abilities. I loved my Gundam and it fit my personality perfectly. It used the stealth capabilities of its hyper jammers to attack the unsuspecting mobile suits. After its capture by OZ, it was rebuilt by who I like to call 'the five'. The remodeled DeathScythe Hell featured a radar-absorbing, beam deflecting 'active cloak', which not only enhances its stealth features, but protects it from enemy fire as well. Its main weapon, the lethal beam scythe had also been upgraded. It was my baby! I have a scythe tattoo on my left arm in remembrance. A little morbid I know; I'm a morbid person. Even after everything that changed, I will always be the loud American with the unusually morbid personality.

"Because I couldn't be recognized, when I got to L1, I did something that I thought I would never do: I cut my hair. It's not as short as Heero's was, but it is shorter that Wufei's. I couldn't afford to be recognized and my braid was the one thing that everyone remembers about Pilot 02. I have had a few people come up to me and tell me that there is a 'striking resemblance'. My hair is what people would call 'shaggy'. It took some getting used to, but I like it.

"I've also changed my name. I now go by the name James Maxwell. I would never give up my connection to Solo, Sister Helen, or Father Maxwell, but I had to blend in. I remember that both Solo and Sister Helen liked the name James, so I took that name as my own. It's probably not a smart move (people may try to find me), but I will never give up the name Maxwell. I'll deal if I get found.

"Still, I can say that for the first time that I can remember, I'm actually enjoying life. Before, life was survival. I always had to make sure that I had enough food, or that I didn't have OZ trying to off me, or I had had to make sure that everyone was well, warm, clothed, and fed. I do miss my 'street rat' days, but I don't think I would trade my life now and go back. I haven't been back to L2 since the war; I don't think I'm ready to see what has happened to my old home. I don't want to run into people I used to know and practically abandoned.

"I do wonder how the others are doing. Noin and Zechs are doing that Terra Formation project on Mars. Wufei has joined the Preventers. Quatre is most likely running the Winner Corporation. I think Trowa is back at the circus where he had been after he lost his memory. I guess Heero is doing okay. He's probably treating this time of peace as a mission. I wonder if he is protecting Relena, who I hear is doing just fine. She is still a major part of the Earth Sphere Government.

"I've lost touch with Hildi; she was the only one who knew what happened. I think she may be back on L2. I saw her before I left for L1, and she gave me a letter from Quatre that he wrote right after that last mission. I have yet to look at it… I don't think he ever thought anyone else would ever get their hands on it, let alone the dead guy he was writing it to, but then that kid's always had some weird shit going on with him – he just knows things that I just don't know how to explain. I guess a lot of people expected me to team up with Heero after the war if I had survived, but in reality we're not close 'friends'. The Gundam pilots had no safe house, or great bonding experience; we all acted independently of each other. None of the pilots ever came to look for me or see if I had survived. When everyone thought I was dead, I went back to L2 until I found out about Mariemaia.

"After the second 'war' ended, I treated myself through some key hacking. I set up a bank account for myself, and transferred a large amount of money into it. I don't consider it stealing. I guess it's something like compensation for fighting for the majority of my life. I do deserve something, right? Everyone else has a place to go to, except for possibly Yuy, but he's probably doing something with the Preventers. I had to start off from scratch. I had nothing and no one.

"Now on L1, I'm living the good life. I have a part-time job at a garage. My co-workers are in awe of my mechanical abilities. It's insanely cool. I have a few friends at school. I actually share an apartment with three of them. We get along pretty well. They know not to piss me off. When I first arrived at school, an upperclassman called me a 'dumb faggot'. The last thing he saw before he passed out was my fist. After that and a week's suspension no one dared to pick a fight with me. I have to constantly remind myself to keep my anger in check.

"Besides the few reflexes that I have from the street and from my Gundam days, I can pass for a perfectly normal, healthy person. I'm still a little underweight and short, but that's about it. I have always been a 'late bloomer' so I hope that I will gain a few inches in height. It would really suck if Heero ended up being taller than me.

"As of recent events, there's nothing much happening. I read that Relena may be visiting to discuss living situations on the Colonies. They're having some sort of meeting. I think I'll keep out of sight the week that she is here. They say that she may go around to different schools and places of employment to observe education and work conditions. I know that my fear that she'll recognize me is most likely irrational. There's almost no chance that we'll be in the same building at the same time, and there's much less of a chance that she'll know me if she does see me. We only ever talked a few times. Still, I don't want to take that chance.

"End recording."


End file.
